Union official urges Democrats to replace state party leader

Thursday

Mar 29, 2012 at 12:01 AMMar 29, 2012 at 10:04 AM

Maybe there is something in the water flowing to both of Ohio's major political parties. A movement is afoot to oust Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern from his post during a critical statewide- and presidential-election cycle, and to replace him with Anthony Giardini of Lorain County.

Maybe there is something in the water flowing to both of Ohio’s major political parties.

A movement is afoot to oust Ohio Democratic Party Chairman Chris Redfern from his post during a critical statewide- and presidential-election cycle, and to replace him with Anthony Giardini of Lorain County.

The coup is unfolding at the same time that Gov. John Kasich and his allies are trying to dethrone Ohio Republican Party Chairman Kevin DeWine, causing a bitter divide in the GOP’s ranks.

Like DeWine in his party, Redfern says he has majority support on the Democrats’ 66-member central committee. The outcomes of both intraparty disputes might not be known until the parties have their organizational meetings in April.

The opening public salvo in the dump-Redfern campaign was fired by Kenny Holland, secretary-treasurer of the Laborers’ District Council of Ohio, who wrote to central-committee members on Tuesday urging them to support Giardini.

Holland said his union lacks confidence in Redfern after the “devastating defeat in the 2010 elections,” in which Democrats lost the governor’s office and the four other statewide executive offices, lost control of the Ohio House, lost seats in the state Senate and lost an Ohio Supreme Court election.

Holland and Giardini, who announced his candidacy last week in a letter to the central committee, also criticized Redfern for running for a state House seat this year while simultaneously seeking another two-year term as party chairman.

“I just think it’s bad policy for a chairman to also be an elected officeholder representing a constituency that includes Democrats, Republicans and independents, and businesses and labor,” Giardini told The Dispatch. “That person is going to wear a different hat as state-party chairman, whose focus should be strictly on electing Democrats.”

Other labor unions reportedly are prepared to join the effort to replace Redfern, but they hadn’t stepped forward publicly as of yesterday.

The history of the Laborers union with the Democratic Party has been contentious. Holland said the council pulled its financial support from the party in 2008 because Redfern “lacked sensitivity to our concerns” and “failed to exhibit the maturity” to lead.

The union donated thousands of dollars to Republican candidates last year, including $24,500 to GOP legislators who had voted for Senate Bill 5 months earlier.

Redfern loyalists circulated a letter dated yesterday with the names of 47 central-committee members pledging support for Redfern. Among them is House Minority Leader Armond Budish of Beachwood.

Budish verified his support for Redfern to The Dispatch, but Giardini said that several of the signers told him they had not committed their support to Redfern.

Lorain Mayor Chase Ritenauer said he was asked earlier this week to sign a letter of support for Redfern, but he didn’t know it was to be used as an endorsement letter.

“In terms of coming out and endorsing, that wasn’t my intent, especially with (Giardini) challenging,” Ritenauer said, adding that he is uncommitted.

In an interview, Redfern said: “I am gratified to have overwhelming support of the members of the state central committee and friends inside and outside the labor community, and look forward to the reorganization meeting in April.

“Like with any other large organization, we as Democrats sometimes have differences and disagreements,” Redfern said. “We always move forward and come together and focus on what’s most important.”

Giardini, 60, has served for 20 years as chairman of the Lorain City Central Committee and vice chairman of the Lorain County Democratic Executive Committee. Records show that he has donated money to Republicans.

According to a filing with the Federal Election Commission, Giardini gave $500 to Mike DeWine’s 2000 U.S. Senate campaign. Giardini’s law firm also gave $100 to two GOP Ohio Supreme Court candidates in 2010.

Giardini said he has never met DeWine and has no recollection of having donated money to his campaign, adding that one of his law partners made the Supreme Court contributions “for business reasons.”

There is rampant speculation in Democratic circles that the push to remove Redfern is at least partly connected to the perception that he is overtly favoring former Gov. Ted Strickland ahead of other prominent potential candidates for governor in 2014.

Strickland has not said whether he would seek the party’s nomination. Other possible candidates often mentioned include former Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray, now head of the federal Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and Cuyahoga County Executive Ed FitzGerald.

“As far as I know, (Redfern) has a really good relationship with Richard as well,” Strickland said. “I have no reason to believe he doesn’t, or that he has a poor relationship with anyone else who may aspire to be a candidate for governor.

“Trust me, we do not have a situation going on like our Republican friends in Ohio have on their hands right now.”

jhallett@dispatch.com

jvardon@dispatch.com

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